Does You 3Yr Old Have a Tv in Their Room??? Why or Why Not?

So, here's my feeling...from a TV LOVER. I mean I need the TV...at least I used to. And let me tell you the notion of not having it on really was awful to me.

That said, if you're sick of watching Dora (and holy heck, I don't blame you), then the tv needs to go off. If you need a distraction for the child for a few minutes, then get some crayons and coloring books and put them at the dining room table.

Putting a tv in the bedroom will only isolate the child and the time he/she spends in there watching tv is time that they aren't interacting with the family. Family time, especially at this age, is incredibly valuable time for their growth intellectually and emotionally. Quiet time, time without tv is incredibly important for their creative development. When they aren't being entertained, they will learn to entertain themselves and this is critical for their problem solving abilities etc.

If the child is watching a movie, it should be in an area where you can interact with him/ her and you are spending time together as a family.

Not to mention, a tv in a child's room means they are more likely to be able to access adult (inappropriate) programming. And by that, I mean people arguing, violence, sex, inappropriate language, etc. Try to look for a moment at some of the shows that are on and view them through the eyes of a child. It's really inappropriate.

So, no I wouldn't put a tv in my kids room. We have one tv in the house, my son watches sesame in the morning while I get ready for the day and then the TV is off until he goes to bed. We do play a lot of kid-appropriate music (Jack Johnson and others...) it helps fill up the space sometimes.

10 moms found this helpful

Absolutely NOT!

As an educator, I have read study after after study that says nothing ever positive about a tv in a child's bedroom. There is actually documentation that a child's grades are lower.

As a parent of three children, ages 11, 7, and 17 months, I find it imperative that I provide the right stimulus to my children in the form of books and other 'quiet' toys if they want to be alone in their rooms.

TV should be monitored and sticking your child in their room just because you are bored of her shows should actually concern you about what control you are giving to her and what you are saying about what she does during her down time.

Obviously I am pretty passionate about this topic. Start good habits now by having her read age appropriate books in her room. Her educational habits start now. You are either creating a lifetime pacifier in the tv or providing an opportunity for her to find more brain stimulating things to do.

7 moms found this helpful

Here are my thoughts on the subject.
TV is not evil or entirely bad.
However, if you are considering a TV for a child that young because you are sick of watching "kiddie" shows.......
Maybe your kiddie shouldn't be watching them so much either.
There are plenty of educational things for children to watch but getting them in the habit of having it around all the time isn't the best idea.
That's just my opinion.

I have bought Schoolhouse Rock for kids so there is nothing wrong with some things. I just think this age is too young if it's simply because you don't want to watch the kid stuff.
Expand your horizons, if anything. Get a video of ballet or the symphony and if she's bored and doesn't like it.....there is always an OFF button.

Best wishes.

7 moms found this helpful

NO NO NO.

A child does not need a TV in their room, nor to be constantly plugged in.
They can do OTHER things, like playing, in their room.

A TV, is not a 'necessity' for a child, in their room.
If in their room with the TV constantly on, they will not learn how to be creative or be resourceful or self-reliant and will probably always want external entertainment. Passive entertainment, like TV.

I am not against TV, but gee at that age, NO way, would I put a tv in a child's room. Nor for my kids nor when they are older.

5 moms found this helpful

No way, no tv in their rooms. My girs are 2 and almost 5, when the tv is on they are like zombies, they immediately zone out and tune out everything around them. And that's when the news is on, imagine if they could turn on a cartoon or a movie in their room whenever they want! I was 16 before I had a tv in my room, and our girls will be around that age too... if they even ask. TV just isn't that important, and if it's important enough that I feel I need to put one in their rooms to save us from seeing Dora/Cars/Toy Story, I would probably check my priorities.

4 moms found this helpful

Not for us. And we have already decided that a tv in the room will never happen, no matter the age. I don't think tv is necessarily evil, there are some things we enjoy and it can educate. And let's face it, I think we have all had incidents where we needed the tv to babysit at one time or another. But there is much more out there on television that I think has no value whatsoever. Tv isolates the family as so many people have mentioned. Personally, I can't stand seeing kids turn into zombies in from of the screen. That glazed over, non-responsive reaction really bothers me. Tv lacks imagination and thought. A bedroom should be haven for children. A place for them to play, imagine, escape. Not a place to stick them so you don't have to hear Dora. I also think that as parents we have to teach our kids to watch tv with a critical eye. Let them know that it's not real or not possible or that commercial is not entirely truthful. That kind of monitoring cannot take place if the child is alone. And when they are watching something good, you won't know about it. My 5yo loves Wild Kratts, the PBS show. He gets to choose two cartoons a day, and he loves this one. I watch too (granted I may be doing something else at the same time) so we can talk about it. Sometimes we look up animals we see or get a book at the library about one of the creatures. If he was secluded in his room, I'd never know. We'd miss out on that time together and those learning experiences. And one can make the argument that your child is watching the same things over and over again, so you know all about it. That's how it starts, then they get bored and want something else. Or they figure out the remote and how to change channels and now you are in the trap of not having any clue what's going on.

4 moms found this helpful

No. My kids are 2 and 6. I want to be present at ALL times when they are watching TV. Screening what they are watching is so important. Plus, if my children had TV in their room I feel like it would be a constant fight trying to limit it. I also feel like they will be locked in their rooms watching tv all the time instead of hanging out with family. Just my opinion. :)

3 moms found this helpful

Our 3 year old DD does not have a TV in her room - I just don't believe in it. We get pretty tired of kids shows and movies too but I don't think having her own TV in her room is the answer. I'd rather see her playing with her toys, drawing pictures, being active, etc. then just being expected to be entertained with a TV. Her room is mostly for sleeping, we read bedtime stories in there and have some cuddle time before she goes down for the night. My hubby's ex-wife had TVs for both their sons in their rooms when they were little and they did not seem to know how to entertain themselves any other way.

3 moms found this helpful

No TV, no computer, no telephone in their room. Keep them part of the family WITH the family. It is so easy to become isolated.

3 moms found this helpful

My 2.5 year old has a tv in her room, and we have a dvd player in the car. I see nothing wrong with it. We only let her watch educational cartoons or wholesome family movies. It's a personal choice, and whatever works for your family is ok.

I don't think watching tv in their rooms will damage or stunt a child. She watches a little tv in her room after her bath, and a little before bed. The before bed tv watching is a dvd about bedtime. We love "Elmo's bedtime" dvd. It's very relaxing and it almost puts me to sleep too.

I think the tv in her room makes her life more enjoyable (and mine too lol). As well as the dvd player in the car (which we only turn on if the car trip is longer than 30 or 45 minutes). And if something makes life more enjoyable, and it's not dangerous or neglectful, why not? I watched tv as a child, and I think I am a very intelligent person. You do whats best for your family, and don't feel bad about it, or feel you need to rationalize it. Every family does things differently. Thank goodness! The world would be boring if we all lived the same way. Then what would we have to talk about?

2 moms found this helpful

Why not just spend time together as a family, without the tv?

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I don't think it's a good idea to send a 3-year-old to her room to watch tv by herself. I think you should just shut off the tv instead and re-direct her to another activity. TV watching isn't good for little kids.

2 moms found this helpful

My inlaws let my husband have a tv in his room. He is grown and still cannot fall asleep without the tv on. He will watch until two or three in the morning, which in turn keeps me up as well, and will wake up really angry if I turn it off before he is in a deep sleep. Then, he sleeps hours past his alarm, gets up tired, comes home tired (meanwhile I am at home with three kids all day and VERY tired, not of my own choosing) takes a nap while watching tv and then the cycle starts all over. No tv in the rooms for my kids. They can watch TV, just not in their rooms. They can watch (where I can control) the IPAD if they've been well behaved, just no tv in their rooms. They can put a dvd in their portable dvd player in the living room, just no tv in their rooms.

I repeat this over and over so you know I am not against tv. I am against tv in the bedrooms.

2 moms found this helpful

No TV in any child's room. Do you want your children to be part of the family or ensconce themselves in their rooms and not communicate? If you are sick of Dora, turn her off.
I have never allowed any electronics of any kind in the bedrooms. They want to play their Nintendo DS? They play in the family room or the kitchen. They want to play their PS2? In the family room on the family room TV. I want to see what my children are doing. I want to be involved in their lives. Neither of them have their own computers -- they use the family Mac here in the family room. I can see what they are doing and they know they are being watched.
I did use a portable DVD player to drive a 12 hour drive with my teens - they watched movie after movie and they loved it! They watched some of the movies more than once and still say some of the more classic lines to each other. It's pretty funny, actually!
My son will need a laptop to go off to college. He will get it over the summer and not one second before he needs it. It will have monitoring software on it that I can access via email. Keeping them safe is what it is all about.
LBC

2 moms found this helpful

No... i did think about it one time but decided against it.... Reason being- at this age it's better for them to be playing and learning rather than watching cartoons. Although when I'm doing stuff during the day, I do stick him in front of the tv to entertain him... Not in the room though... Once it's in the room, it's never coming out~

2 moms found this helpful

We're getting our <almost> 2 y/o one this year. We aren't putting cable in her room though...just a tv and a dvd player. I don't mind letting her watch her few cartoons out in the living room with us, I actually like the one's she's interested in, but she has all of these kids sing-a-long videos and I just can't stand them.
I was raised with a tv in my room. I was also raised with a lot of chores, with a hobby in music (multiple instruments), out in the country, fishing, reading, archery, target shooting, family movie night, family board game nights, common family tv shows, caring for animals, etc.
I honestly feel like having a tv is the same with many other things in life.....moderation is key.
Just my opinion. =)

2 moms found this helpful

I can't believe all the "absolutely not's" here.... Yes, our 4 year has a TV in her room, we did it because every night we would watch Dora before bed, than it led to Diego, than she would say one more show, please, so we got the TV put it in her room, she gets one more show before bed in her room.... When she gets up in the morning she will watch a show or two before getting us up... I see NOTHING wrong with it, and hey I really believe Nick JR is very educational tv, our daughter has learned to speak some Spanish, and many other things from that channel!! Good Luck!!

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We only have one tv in our house, and though I've thought about getting another one, I've come to the conclusion that we already spend too much time in front of screens. No sense in promoting what I would already like to diminish for us... Besides, I grew up with a tv in my room and it was not beneficial, to say the least.

But I do feel your pain. Most of what we watch is kid-oriented, and I would love to have more grown up tv time. My compromise is that I sometimes let the kids use the portable DVD player in their bedroom to watch their own choice. Good things about that: cheaper than buying another tv since we need it for travel anyway, small so it doesn't take up any permanent space in their rooms, and they are limited to watching the dvds that we have--no worries about what's being viewed. It works for us.

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I vote against children EVER having TVs in their rooms. There's just too much foul junk they don't need to see. When our 10-yr-old came in one day and asked, "When am I going to get a TV in my bedroom?" I answered him, "When you leave home, rent an apartment and pay for it yourself." He was astounded. "You mean I'm NEVER going to have a TV in my room?" I said that is right. He never did. We had two in the house---enough for any family! I could monitor what my children watched and turn it off when I felt it was appropriate. Besides, watching TV together was about the only time we were with our kids given the amount of activities they were in. TV is getting worse, not better.

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Don't do it. What will happen is that you will start to use that TV all of the time to get her out of your hair. And then you will start letting her fall asleep to it because you will not be able to say no when she asks...and you want to watch your own shows so why not right? How could it hurt? And pretty soon you stop any and all bedtime routines. Bedtime routine in a year from now will be getting her pjs on and jumping into bed to watch TV. You will come in and kiss her-maybe. And your relationship with her will suffer. And her behavior will too.
How do I know this will happen to you??? Because it happened to TWO of my neighbors and you remind me of them. They like their own shows and were very 'inconvenienced' by letting their children watch TV. So they bought their 3 yos TVs for their rooms.

2 moms found this helpful

No, no, and no.

My answer only stems from this:
I had no tv in my room growing up and I can take or leave tv.
My husband had a tv in his room growing up and the man LOVES tv. It is sad (to me) to see how much time he wastes watching tv.

When we first married I spoke to his parents and they said his "addiction" started when they put a tv in his room. They said they wished they had never done it.

Just my two cents,
R.

2 moms found this helpful

If you are sick of those shows then don't put them. DO NOT put a tv in her room. That is a NASTY habit to get into.
Pretty soon you start letting her watch it all the time , and with it in her room she will never come out of her room , and will ask and ask and ask and ask to watch it ALL THE TIME. It's more trouble than it's worth BTDT.

2 moms found this helpful

I absolutely would not do it. Kids spend too much time in front of screens (tv, computer, video games, cell phones, texting) and they have no communication skills. The only body parts they exercise are their thumbs. You need to find things you can do to be together - games, puzzles, Legos, whatever. Or things to do quietly and alone - reading, whatever. If you are sick of those movies, turn off the TV!! You are considering 3 tv sets for a family of 3. What does that tell you? You all need your separate space to watch your own shows? TV is the social center (living room) and the quiet-time-before-bed activity (both bedrooms).

A friend of mine already has a 4-tv problem (living room and 3 bedrooms). Instead of a family movie night, everyone goes their separate ways. You don't like what's on, you go somewhere else. No one works to find a solution or a compromise. She is miserable and wishes she never did it. Now she feels that the kids can't go to sleep without TV and there are tantrums when she tries to turn the volume down, let alone turn the set off. It's a nightmare.

I think this is a very slippery slope, and you will NEVER get your child to have quiet time, play creatively and (later on) do homework or calm down before bed without her using TV as a crutch. Educational and neurological studies are showing alarming things happening with kids' brains, especially in the areas of communications, creativity, and social skills - they are interacting with equipment and not with people. They cannot read social cues or body language. Adults are getting that way too. I would absolutely look at this issue again and try to figure out what your real goals are, then find another way to meet them.

2 moms found this helpful

My 3 year old son does have an older very small television in his room with a VCR hooked up to it. No cable, no DVD player , just a VCR. I have alot of old Disney movies on VHS from when I was a child, and most that I have, have not come out on DVD for us to buy, so that is the reason we did it.

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Nope and we don't intend to either... t.v. (in my opinion) can be pretty isolating. We're sick of Dora, Cars and Toy Story too, but he's only allowed to watch a little while we're making dinner and 20 minutes before bedtime, so we can deal with it.

We have one t.v. in our house b/c it's just not a priority for us. We either watch it together or find something else to do.

2 moms found this helpful

We only have one tv in our house. We do not have tv's in the bedrooms (the kids or ours). As a mental health professional, I can tell you that tv's in the bedrooms interfere with rest, relaxation, and sleep for both adults and children. We do have a dvd player in the car for long drives and we do let the kids watch movie's on our iphones when we are on the plane. The AAP advises against tv's in kids bedrooms and every mental health professional and mental health organization that I am aware of advises against tv's in bedrooms. period. for adults, teens, and children.

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I see no reason for a 3 year to have a tv in their room. I have to ask.... if you are so sick of watching dora, cars and toy story, how many times has he watched them?? It sounds like he already spends tons of time in front of a screen. If it is a matter of the movies, just use the portable dvd player in his room to watch a movie. I am not against tv, I don't think think it is harmful in small amounts, and perfectly fine for kids to watch "some" tv daily, but I don't see why a 3 year old needs one in their room. My 16 and 13 year old have one, but no cable connected, it is used to watch movies and my 16 year ds has it for his xbox, which by the way, I feel he plays FAR too much. Once a tv is in the kids room, you have less control of how much is watched, 30 minutes turns into an hour or more quite quickly. Pick a few shows you agree on and let her watch them.

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I have a 2.5 and 4.5 who share a room. They do not have a tv. My husband and I don't have a tv in our room either. THere is one tv in the house. I don't like to fall asleep with the tv on so I don't want to teach my kids to. I know lots of folks who say they sleep really well with the indistinct background noise a tv can provide and they have taught thier kids to sleep that way too (or at least fall asleep to it). I personally don't plan on ever putting a tv in my kid's room...I didn't have one until after I graduated from college! I hear you about getting tired of the kid's shows...I just limit them or find another activity when I get annoyed :)

1 mom found this helpful

My children will not get one either. In fact we didn't have cable until my oldest was 17. Furthermore the the three at home are not allowed to watch any tv on weekdays. And my 10 yo is only allowed to watch certain shows, which do not include anything on Disney that is not animated. Although he and Daddy have Walker nights on the weekends sometimes.

After not watching tv for so long, when hubby deployed I just stopped watching the stupid shows we used to watch all the time, CSI, Law and Order, et al, I now can't sit down through any of them. They are just a waste of itme.

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No. Television kills children's ability to be creative and problem solve, and it limits their language development and activity level - both physically AND mentally. Studies have proven this. I do let my son watch some DVDs, but will never allow 'free reign' in his own bedroom. I control how many (FEW) hours of "screen time" he gets.

Besides, TVs are not good to have in the bedroom. (more studies have proven this also) I don't even have one in mine.

1 mom found this helpful

YES my son has had a tv in his room from very young, right around the age of 2, for the same reason we were tired of watching his shows. and yes he does have a ipod touch and leapster and a dsi but he doesnt sit himself in front of them all day playing them. he would much rather play with his action heros or paint a picture. so the tv in his room mostly gets used right before bedtime as well. i had read all the others responses saying all this stuff is bad for little kids blah blah! i say put the tv in, as long as shes not in there all day watching it.

1 mom found this helpful

Absolutely not! If you are tired of watching those shows, they are probably on too much, so turn them off! We have one TV in our house and with 5 people we've never had a problem. 1/2 hour in the morning if its not a school day, 1/2 hour after school and a show after bath if something decent is on or America's Funniest video's. My kids are 8, 5, and 3.

I just don't think kids should be watching that much television. If its a problem let her watch a show in your room, but really the TV shouldn't be on all day, and kids shouldn't have one in their room.

1 mom found this helpful

Both of my grandkids have TV's in their rooms. I too got tired of constant cartoons. I do let the kids know when they are not allowed to watch a particular show.

The 4 yr. old boy loves to watch Disney and Nick Jr. (I cannot stand Sponge Bob and how stupid Patrick is) and our 7 yr. old girl watches the tween shows except for that new dance show. I was more than willing to like it, K is in tap and ballet classes and is interested in doing Hip Hop too in the Fall. But those 13 year old girls ditched the little brother that one of them has, that they were supposed to babysit while the mom, a police officer, was at work. They snuck out and went to an adult party. Dressed up and ready to play. It was a mistake of course, they were invited to work, but they still did things that I would not allow the kids to watch. That was the last time that show was on in our house.

I have their TV's programmed to only go to OETA, Disney, and Nick. Nothing else comes on. J, the 4 yr. old does damage the TV once in a while by climbing on it or poking things in the DVD player but I think that is our fault for not putting the machines out of his reach.

I also like having adult TV time in the living room. I enjoy NCIS, Psych, Criminal Minds, and lots of other shows that they are not allowed to see. If they come in the TV is instantly switched to the Weather Channel.

I had Grey's Anatomy on one time and was cooking dinner and the 7 yr. old came in. Callie and Arizona were in the shower making out. She didn't understand what was going on and was intently watching to figure it out. That was it. I always keep the remote in my reach if I am watching something I like but don't want the kids to see.

I also like having the TV as leverage. They have been grounded from them on occasion.

Also, the TV may be on but the kids hardly ever just sit and watch it. It's like an adult who's doing other stuff with the TV on. I clean house with Foreigner on my CD player but I am not sitting listening to their music. I am listening to it while I am active doing something else. Kids are the same way. They have it on as background noise and they play and watch a few minutes then go off and play again, then watch a few minutes, etc.....

1 mom found this helpful

Umm no. They never will either. My 5 year old is begging for one. I don't want my kids to always be in their rooms so our family has decided it won't happen. We are going to buy a little t.v. that has a DVD player attached that we can put in their rooms for sleepovers and when they are in bed sick. It will be moved out the next day. I am totally with you on the Dora and Cars. Just limit maybe limit T.V. time and encourage free play and books. Good Luck finding what works best for your family.

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I would not do it. It encourages too much tv watching. Since your child is only 3 she probably watches what - about 1 or 1.5 hrs of TV a day? I would just suck it up with having to watch the repetitive kids shows with her. I would also work on stopping the TV before bed routine. We really limit TV/movies in our house bc we feel like it just sucks you in and you become addicted! At least I do! If you get a portable dvd player you can always let her watch a movie now and then in her room on that if you feel like you need to.

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At first I was like, why the hell would you put a TV in a 3 year old's room? But, I completely feel your pain. I am sick of watching 'bob the builder' and 'barney'. Though I do love the movie Toy Story... So I can't sympathize for you there.

I don't know... I think that if you and your husband are the ones who turn it on and turn it off, so you can't still limit her time and what she watches... It should be fine.

However, when she gets older (5 or 6) she's going to learn how to work the TV and then you might have a problem. For now, I see no problem with it.

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We put a TV in our daughter's room when she was around 3 1/2. We had 2 TVs - one little one in my room and a bigger one in the living room. Then my uncle gave us one that is a little bigger. So, we put that new biggest one in the living room and moved the middle sized one into our daughter's room. There is no where in my room to put a TV that size.

It is hooked up to cable & she has a DVD player. She can't get to the DVDs or turn them on by herself. I edited the channels on the TV to only have the 6 channels that show cartoons. So, when you press the channel up or down buttons on the TV, it only scrolls through those 6 channels (the remote can still be used to enter the digits for any other channel, but she doesn't know how to do this).

She knows that when I tell her the TV needs to be off that she better turn it off. Otherwise I unplug it!

For the past few months her bed has been in my room next to my bed (while Daddy is deployed). So she actually watches TV in the living room more now than in her own room.

So, I don't think there's anything wrong with it, as long as you monitor what and how much they are watching.

I don't have a TV in their bedrooms, but we do have one in our playroom, so it's basically no different. I put one in there so that they can watch TV while I listen to music while I'm cooking or cleaning or something. I don't think it's a big deal. People who don't let their kids watch TV are really missing out! :-) Do what you want!

We're about to get our 3 year old a tv for the same reason. My oldest has had a tv since she was 2 and that's what we'll be doing again. This time though, we're getting her a lcd so that we can hang it on the wall.

i really don't agree with it. tv is mind numbing enough, without giving in and just letting them hole up in their room. is a 30 minute show really so torturous? or are you considering letting her be in there by herself for the length of an entire movie? at least if it's in the livingroom (because my preschooler, at least, has the attention span of a gnat), there is conversation and interaction as well. you don't have to sit and stare at dora, you can be doing other things. also keep in mind, as she gets older there will be new shows to watch. my son finally got over watching nothing but sprout, and now loves star wars and transformers - i was actually really excited lol. it's all part of the growing process. but mine is an only, too, so i have no desire to send him to his room to watch tv. we aren't that type of family. if mom and dad get sick of watching the kid shows, A. we take turns picking (either we pick something age appropriate, or something he thinks is "boring" and it's funny how quickly he finds something else to do), and B. the tv can be turned off.

No tv's. I didnt have them growing up either and I know now why. My bf's 2 children are hooked to TV. I only have 2 tvs in my house, 1 in my guestroom and 1 in my den/tv room. It gives them this sense of independence that I dont think they need and also a sense of entitlement, like they can watch tv whenever...I think it become convenient to put them in front of a movie...Think twice about it.

I think the question about how many tv's in a house is a personal preference. We only have the one tv in the living room and feel that we don't need them in the bedrooms. Our daughter is 5 so I can totally relate to being burned out on kid shows. My feeling is that with having only one tv, it forces us to watch together or for us (primarily her) to be creative to find other things to do if we don't want to watch what's on the tv. I've been tempted to put one in her room so she can watch her movies but then I'm afraid it will cause a "separation" with the family. Like I said, I think it's a personal preference. As for the portable dvd player...we love ours! It's great to have in the car for her to be entertained if she needs it.

We have two boys. One is almost 6 and the other is 3.5 years old. The kids have had a tv in their room since th oldest was 2 years old. My mom got it for him as a christmas present that year. We liked the idea of having a tv because he likes to watch a lot of cartoon movies that we can only watch so many times... He also had a lot of issues with waking in the middle of the night and freaking out and screaming. We started putting cars on when he went to bed and we would leave it on all night...kind of like a night ligth and it greatly reduced the number of times he would wake up screaming.
Santa just brought the boys the portable DVD players. Santa knows we have to go out of town and visit family so i guess he was giving us a break LOL. The kids loved their portable dvd players. They watch them all the time even at home. It helps prevent fighting since they each have their own player that they can watch their own movie on.

Nope for us - not gonna happen. I agree with the other posting that have talked about seperating the family etc... We have a 5 yr. old, 3 yr. old, & 6 month old & any tv time is done as a family, but then again we don't really do tv much at all. For us, if our kiddos want to spend time alone in their room playing they are more than welcome too but they won't be spending time alone sucked into a "stupid box." We have noticed that the more time they spend watching tv the slower they become at following directions, the less patience they have with each other, and just their attitude turns sour. I've seen enough friend's kids & nieces & nephews whose parents have no clue what they are into because the kids spend so much time hiding out in their room watching tv by themselves.
On any given day though our tv doesn't come on - if we want to watch an adult show (Criminal Minds - love it!, something like that) then we wait until the kids are in bed. My husband has an extremely limited amount of time at home right now so for us, it's more important to spend the time interacting with each other; i.e. talking, wrestling with the kids, playing games, etc...
Anyway, that is how we do it - not saying everyone should be like us :-)
Hope you find something that works for you guys.

My boys each have one but it is for a good reason... my 6 yr old has a Leapster Laptop (basically just a wireless keyboard) and he is learning to spell, read and type using his TV. My 4 yr old has a Smart cycle and is using that for educational purposes also.

They do watch occasional movies but that is a "treat", they are not hooked up to the Satellite and only get Qubo if they want to watch the TV. They really only ask to watch their own TV's about once a month if they are not feeling well or are really tired and just want some quiet time. I don’t see a problem with it, my kids seem to be making smart decisions about it… I may be concerned if they isolated themselves like other posters were talking about.

Good Luck!
E.

When my daughter was three, we lived in a 1-bedroom apartment, and her bed was in the living room, which was also where the only tv in the house was. She knew that she was not allowed to turn it on after bedtime. If I wanted to watch it after she was asleep, I just kept the volume low and turned the screen to where the light wouldn't be in her face.
During the day, she was allowed to watch her shows and play her video games pretty much when she wanted, but she didn't spend hours and hours in front of the tv - she liked to do lots of things.

After we moved and she actually had her own room, she had a little portable tv in her room that she kept until she was old enough to start baby-sitting, then she saved her baby-sitting money and bought herself a bigger tv from a pawn shop.

She has always been allowed to have a tv, video games, and her computer in her room, and I never had any problems with her isolating herself or attracting the attention of pedophiles on the internet.

My 7 & 9 year olds do not have a tv in their rooms, and they never will. We have 3 tvs in the house; living room, master bedroom, & media room. If one is watching something the other doesn't want to watch they can go to another room. If the kids shows are bothering you, turn them off, or find something else for her to watch.